David Kilcullen, president and CEO of the research firm Cordillera and a senior fellow at New America, is a renowned counterinsurgency theorist and practitioner. He served for 24 years as a soldier, diplomat, and policy advisor to the Australian and United States governments in contexts spanning Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea. He is the author of four books, The Accidental Guerrilla, Counterinsurgency, Out of the Mountains, and Blood Year. In 2009, he was selected as one of Foreign Policy magazine’s Top 100 Global Thinkers. In October, he spoke to Diwan about Al-Qaeda, the rise and fall of the Islamic State, and what can be done about the enduring global terrorism threat.
What Future for Jihadism?
In a Diwan podcast, David Kilcullen talks about Al-Qa‘eda’s future after the setbacks of the Islamic State.
More work from Diwan
Toward a New Compromise in Iraq?Recent election results have placed Nouri al-Maliki in a strong position to name the next prime minister.
- Wladimir van Wilgenburg
A Year Later, What is Your Assessment of the Assad Downfall?A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security.
Has Sisi Found a Competent Military Entrepreneur?Mustaqbal Misr has expanded its portfolio with remarkable speed, but a lack of transparency remains.
Simon Karam’s Poisoned GiftThe negotiator will have a delicate task of preserving Lebanon’s eroding sovereignty and getting on with Nabih Berri.
Israel’s Ring of Buffer ZonesIn the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, the Israelis have transformed their neighbors’ borderlands to serve their own security interests.
